The Big Dipper

The Aftermath

The move from Hogwarts to Corvus Manor was, at least compared to the feat of battle, easy. Once the excitement at their victory had calmed down and everyone had been bandaged up and fed, Ursula, her friends, a handful of Weasleys, Minerva McGonagall, and the other leaders of the battle all Apparated to Corvus Manor to make plans for moving the injured there.

"Damn," murmured Fred, gazing up at Corvus Manor, which was roughly half the size of Hogwarts. Ursula forgot that only a handful of her friends had ever seen her home until she saw the awestruck expressions around her.

"I told you I had room," said Ursula. "Come on."

She led the way up the marble front steps, throwing open the massive double doors at the entrance, causing the lights inside to spring to life. The entrance hall took up three of the four floors in the manor, with twin grand staircases leading to the floors above, whose balconies rimmed the magnificent hall. A massive crystal chandelier sparkled above their heads, a symbol of decadence reflected by everything around them.

Ursula led her stunned guests through the hall, dictating a list as she went to her house elves.

"The carpet must go," she said, and Fred glanced down to see slightly off-color patches, burn marks, and a few dark streaks. He was hit with the sudden realization that despite the glamor of Ursula's mansion, it had been the sight of numerous meetings with Voldemort. "Take all of the furniture from the drawing room, and the dining room table, and put it outside. I'll burn it later."

"Er... isn't that a family heirloom?" hissed Cassius, as a massive oak dining table floated outside. Ursula's face was guarded, but Fred could see the pain in her eyes.

"I don't care," she said. Turning to the group at large, she said, "Now, the biggest challenge is finding all of the cursed objects and storing them somewhere safe. My grandparents had quite the collection. Through this door —" She indicated a seemingly blank wall, out of which a door instantly materialized. "— is the dungeon, which is the optimal place to move these objects. I've already moved everything that could kill you by touching it, but I'd advise you to move objects by magic just in case. If anyone finds an antique vial, please come to me and I will show you to the cabinet of poisons. Any questions?"

"How do we know if an object is cursed?" asked Lilian, raising her hand.

"I'll send each group with a detailed list and a house elf," said Ursula. "They know this house as well as I do. Once all of the cursed objects have been removed, we'll set about preparing the bedrooms and the ballroom. There are thirty-two bedrooms in this house, each of which can comfortably fit up to four people, so we should have more than enough space."

She led the group to another set of double doors, which she pushed open.

"This," said Ursula, walking into the massive, dimly lit room, "is the ballroom."

Fred gaped as he stared around at the vaulted ceiling, the tall, arched windows, the checkered floor, and the general magnificence of the room.

"I knew she was rich, but I didn't realize she was this rich," muttered Rue from beside him.

"What are all these decorations for?" called Sirius to Ursula, who stood gazing out the window at the opposite end of the room. He pointed to the stacked white chairs, the tables set with hundreds of glass goblets, and the many white ribbons and colorful flowers that decorated the room.

"They're wedding decorations," said Ursula, turning back to face them. "They will all have to go, of course. Hadrian, I'm putting you in charge of that."

"Happy to oblige," said Hadrian, grinning as he tore down the nearest string of bells.

Ursula opened her mouth, then hesitated, and her eyes found Fred's as she said, "There's... something else you should all be aware of."